After failing to find a parking spot outside their workplace, Dan called Runo and Shun to inform them. "Guys, we need to park somewhere else because the construction crew blocked off the entire lot."

"I parked in front of city hall," the bluenette replied. "Marucho just spoke with their staff and gave us the approval."

"Sweet! I'm coming!"

The raven-haired agent wasn't even nearby yet. "Runo, I might be late. The fire department blocked off a major street due to an exploded fire hydrant."

"Wow...no worries. Dan and I will wait for you."

After much detouring, Shun finally arrived in front of city hall. "Turns out that all the water overflowed through at least four other streets. I hope it doesn't become a DSP case." Before crossing the street, the trio saw a loud crowd gathered at the front steps. "Isn't that Hydron Lyons, one of the senate candidates? And all those people pointing microphones and cameras at him must be reporters. This is way too early in the day for an interview."

"He's also the one for paid for that smear ad I saw on TV," the bluenette scoffed.

After the candidate answered a few more questions, he suddenly approached the DSP agents. "I know you! Everyone, please gather around to meet some of Bayview's finest law enforcement agents! Let's take some photos together!"

"No thanks," the trio answered unanimously with their backs against the crowd while waiting for the traffic lights to change. Most of the reporters lowered their cameras, but Hydron took out his smartphone and began taking selfies with the three agents in the background.

"Is he doing what I think he's doing?" the brunet whispered.

Runo continued pressing the crosswalk button. "Just. Look. Forward."

Shun stayed silent until a female reporter's voice caught his attention. "Mister Lyons, what is your stance on increasing nutrition assistance and health insurance benefits for low-income households?"

Hydron finally put his phone away and replied, "I will definitely keep all benefits at baseline. Once I am elected, I will reassess which aspects will receive increase in benefits based on statistical reporting."

The raven-haired agent turned around and saw Alice among the crowd. "Dan, Runo—you two can go to DSP without me. I'll tell Marucho that I'll be late."

"Okay...?" his friends replied skeptically before crossing the street.

The redhead journalist then asked a completely different question, "Any input regarding recent major and minor crimes in the city?"

"Well...I can't comment since the police are working on this, but I'll help as much as I can." He then faced the camera that Alice's mint-haired coworker was holding. "Don't do the crime if you can't do the time."

The election candidate answered a few more questions before entering city hall. "Ace, did I ask something wrong?" the redhead questioned. "That interview scared me a little."

"No, you did great! I think Hydron wasn't prepared at all to hear serious questions. After all, you know who his dad is."

"I actually don't... oh, be right back!" Alice ran over and greeted her friend at the street corner. "Shun, what are you doing here? Isn't DSP a few blocks away from city hall?"

"Our parking lot is under construction, but Marucho said that we can park here temporarily without penalty. Were you interviewing Hydron earlier?"

"I was. This is my first time interviewing a candidate running for public office. I tried my best to keep the interview engaged, but he walked off to speak with the other reporters."

"I heard everything. Your questions were completely appropriate, given that he's running for senate. You came prepared while he didn't. How do you like this compared to your previous assignments?"

"Following Hydron for interviews is definitely more interesting. I finally get to ask some meaningful questions in hopes of getting meaningful answers. But Shun, if you need to go to work, then I won't bother you. My coworker and I still have more work to do."

Shun checked his wristwatch. "You're right. I don't want to be late either. I know you'll keep doing what you do best."

Alice waived the agent goodbye and then returned to Ace, who asked, "Was that your friend? He looks familiar."

"He's a friend from high school and currently works in law enforcement. Maybe you've seen him around during field work. Anyway, are we supposed to interview another election candidate after Hydron?"

The mint-haired reporter began typing furiously on his phone. "Actually, Mira's telling us to go back because the other candidate asked to reschedule. You have all your stuff, right?"

"Yes, I'm good to go."

As the pair packed their belongings, Hydron stared outside from a second floor window in city hall. "Father, are you sure this is the best way to attract voters' attention? I feel exhausted already just by answering questions. There's no time for me to do any paperwork."

An older man scoffed from his seat at his work desk in the same room. "You should've been prepared to answer those questions to begin with."

"That redhead reporter and her way-too-close cameraman were the worst. They caught me off guard, and I had to give a vague answer. Did you know that this is live? I can't even ask them to cut out or cancel this interview altogether."

"Son, I've been asked way more than that when I was running for my current position. Even as an incumbent running for reelection, the questions never stop. This is what our lives are as politicians, or else my name isn't Zenoheld. Now get out and prepare for your next interview. Do not expect me to help you with everything."

"Fine. Farewell for now."

-x-x-x-x-x-

Marucho and Julie scrolled through several photos on their meeting screen. "Where did these photos of Klaus and Lync come from?" the analyst asked.

"A civilian's car dash cam recorded footage of these two leaving Bayview Expo Center about two days before auction night. Dan also mentioned that a traffic camera caught Lync driving a car, but he was alone. But now Klaus is dead, and Lync becomes even more mysterious."

"I just hope he hasn't assaulted anyone else after Alice." Dan, Runo, and Shun later entered the conference room. "Good to see you all! I hope that auction shooting didn't leave a heavy mark."

The brunet answered first. "I'm fine, although I still I have no idea why I thought standing in front of Klaus's truck would stop him from driving. Since he was desperate enough to shoot people, then who's to say that he wouldn't run me over. But what are you two looking at?"

"More photos of Klaus and Lync." The blond director zoomed in on some photos. "Obviously, we can't ask Klaus what his relationship with Lync is because he's dead. I told Paige to show these pictures to Annie and Vanessa, but they don't know who Lync Volan is at all."

The raven-haired agent stared at all the photos unnervingly. Alice wasn't kidding when she said her coworker took photos of Klaus and Lync together at a vacation house near the fishermen's wharves. "How many cases is Lync tied to now? First, we saw him with Gus and Volt. Then he escapes from Rikimaru's warehouse before the bomb went off. Now he's seen with Klaus. What's next?"

Everyone else froze in place went speechless after hearing Shun's elevated voice.

"Do we have a new case yet? Or do you want us to follow up on older cases? As for Julio Santana, we still haven't heard anything from Billy, so maybe they haven't arrested the courthouse sniper yet. Klaus's case is still fresh, but ballistics reached a dead end. It's another angry but elusive sniper. Now back to Lync—how can we guarantee that he won't hurt another person again? What he did to Alice was no accident and most definitely not self-defense. Those that hide often end up being the most dangerous."

Marucho took a deep breath and projected a different set of photos on the meeting screen. "Shun, I understand you're upset, but all I can do is tell you what we have so far. I even asked Interpol if they know Lync Volan or any profiles that resemble him, but they told me they don't know him at all, either. However, Interpol did give us updates on Gus and Volt."

Since the DSP director changed the subject, the raven-haired agent took a seat as Dan asked, "What did they hack into now?"

"Firstly, they're definitely not the masterminds or major players in the international hacking ring that they work for. At most, they hack into people's personal data and blackmail the victim into doing things."

"Is this vigilante work or what?"

"Absolutely not. These guys always demand money or other high-value ransom. Recently, Interpol said they were hacking into certain fast fashion companies. Key words include 'fast fashion', 'child labor', 'modern slavery'—you name it. The only reason why Gus and Volt are only my radar is because they tried to hack into Bayview's largest power provider company. It looks like we chased them away from shutting down our power grid to the fast fashion industry instead. I can't do much since the companies in question have headquarters overseas."

"Marucho, I think we should investigate the vigilante angle," Shun interrupted. "That one repetitive reporter is right. I briefly glanced at the other cases that he mentioned, and everyone who died by gunshot was in hot water for some kind of crime. The only exception is Barodius Meunier, who's still alive to serve his sentence but otherwise critically injured. But this is the only mutual factor across all cases. Otherwise, the exact murder weapons and circumstances leading up to the sniper shots are all different. Is there nothing we can do about this?"

"I appreciate your input, but how many times do you have to interrupt me today?! Anyway, I'm adding another bolo for Gus and Volt in case they take a break from hacking and show up in public. Then I'll ask the DSP archivists if they have any information on the supposed vigilante cases. Meeting is dismissed."

The raven-haired agent was the first to leave and sprinted down the hallway before the analyst caught up. "Shun, how and why do you always walk so fast?!"

"Julie? You rarely need me for anything after team meetings."

"I could say the same about you until you called me on the auction night to ping—"

That prompted Shun to drag the analyst down a secluded hallway and lecture her sternly. "How can I help you, then?"

"That's what I thought! But I don't need serious help right now. My question is...how is Alice doing since the stabbing?"

The raven-haired agent stared back in confusion. "Why are you asking me? Why not ask Runo?"

"I already did! She said goes to Alice's house once a week to deliver her mom's special detox rejuvenating soup. They chat in the backyard afterwards, but Alice always avoids that question whenever Runo brings it up. Dan doesn't talk to Alice whatsoever. Marucho calls Alice once a week as well to make sure she's not being stalked. Sometimes I text Alice too, but she only answers with short replies that end the conversation immediately."

Alice never told me Runo brought her soup, although she had no reason to. Just like how she has no reason to tell everyone what we talk about and where I've taken her. This is how she interacts with others... "Did you actually ask everyone this question?"

"It's obvious that you care for her, but it's also obvious that her trauma is holding her back from social activities. If you want to do something, then do it now."

Shun glared at Julie in disbelief, then shook his head and began walking to the main hallway. "Thanks for the advice, but based on what you told me, I think Alice needs more time to recover."

"Don't you forget what I said!"

"Thank goodness Dan and Runo don't ask me weird questions like yours." Not anymore, at least...

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Ace, I feel really nervous about interviewing two different election candidates on consecutive days."

"We're interviewing the incumbent today, so he should know how to answer everyone's questions, Alice."

The two reporters stood outside city call again with fellow peers as they waited for their interviewee to step outside. "One of the reasons why this assignment overwhelms me because I'm still not familiar with local politics."

"And that's exactly why Mira sent me to be your cameraman. Anyway, here he comes!"

A tall, young man with long, chestnut brown hair exited the city hall front entrance and made his way to the podium. He adjusted his green blazer and then tapped the microphones. "Good afternoon! Can everyone hear me?"

"Yes!" the crowd replied.

"Excellent! Firstly, thank you all for attending today's press conference at such short notice and also at an unconventional time in the afternoon. Please step closer toward me so that you don't block the sidewalk for pedestrians."

Alice and Ace moved along with the crowd. "He's completely different than Hydron," the redhead whispered.

"That's what I'm telling you. He knows exactly what he's doing, but you'd better hurry if you want to ask questions."

Reporters from different agencies all fought to ask Jesse their questions, but Alice finally got her chance. "Senator Glenn, what's your opinion of the city's future plans to build more affordable housing in the financial district?"

"Considering that many companies are adopting hybrid work models for their employees, I anticipate that they won't need as much office space as they used to. But since those companies occupy different buildings scattered everywhere, we may need to consolidate before proceeding with any type of construction."

Before the redhead could ask her next question, a sandy blond reporter emerged from nowhere and raised his hand. "What about the recent vandalism against small businesses owned by ethnic minorities? I know this is old news, but it's gotten more bold and violent recently."

"I've been working with those small business owners about funding to pay for repairs and lost wages. As much as I would like to charge the perpetrators for committing hate crimes, the real issue stems from prejudice. I don't have a permanent solution to stopping hate crimes yet, since you never know when the perpetrators strike and that most of these perpetrators are actually first-time offenders. But I will work closely with city council on these issues."

Then it was Alice's turn to improvise. "Since all those small business vandalism incidents were all localized, do you plan on—"

"—increasing law enforcement staff in that area? Or making any changes to the current law enforcement structure in that district?" the other blond reporter interrupted again.

The redhead remained silent but glared at the reporter, who fixed his gray eyes on the incumbent senator until the question was fully answered. Once the other reporters resumed their questions again, Alice asked sternly, "Don't you think that was rude to interrupt me twice during this press conference?"

"Sorry about that!" The sandy blond reporter faced the redhead and simply smiled. "I just wanted to ask as many serious questions as possible and save you the hassle."

"What hassle?"

"Getting back everything that you lost ever since moving back 'home'."

Taken aback by his response, the redhead shouted, "Excuse me?!"

"Was it worth leaving your previous job as an investigative reporter to come back and handle your grandfather's funeral and other legal matters? Don't you think you can do and achieve more than what you're doing now?"

"How did you—"

"And do you really think he passed away from natural causes?"

Now Alice sent death glares at the sandy blond reporter. "Who do you think you are?!"

"I'm an investigative reporter myself, just like you. You're not supposed to forget who you are or let your guard down either. Me being here at Senator Glenn's press conference is just my side job."

"What do you want?"

"You should definitely go check out your grandfather's storage unit when you have—"

"THANK YOU AGAIN, EVERYONE!" Jesse's voice echoed loudly through all the microphones. "My staff and I must return to city hall for a meeting now. It was a great pleasure meeting all of you today. I hope to see you all again at another gathering soon!"

With that said, everyone began packing their supplies and leaving the premises. Alice lost sight of the mysterious reporter that was taunting her, but then felt a tap on her should that took her by surprise. "Ace, you scared me!" Wait...have I been talking to that other guy this whole time while everyone else was asking Senator Glenn more questions? "Were you here this whole time?"

"Sorry, I got too excited and stood closer to the podium after another reporter said his camera ran out of power. Why do you ask?"

"You're supposed to be my cameraman and recording me when I'm asking questions!" Although she giggled playfully, Alice's intuition was suggesting otherwise. If Ace was actually next to me when I was talking to that other guy... I don't even know what to think.

"Either way, this interview with Jesse Glenn was a thousand times more interesting than what Hydron was attempting to do the other day. But Alice, you look flushed. Is the weather too hot for you? I have an unopened bottle of water."

"That would be nice." The redhead put her left hand in her coat pocket and pressed against her stomach discreetly. The pain is back. I can't just take my prescription painkillers out here. Thank goodness my workday is almost over. "Ready to report to Mira?"

"Actually, hold on..." Ace checked his phone for a few seconds. "Mira actually left early due to family emergency, but she said to drop off everything we have and show her our report tomorrow morning. You good with that?"

"Yes, let's go."

After returning all supplies to the office, Alice went home first, leaving her mint-haired colleague to lock up the building. She took a seat and locked her car, then tossed her purse on the passenger seat. That was when her vial of discharge painkillers rolled out of her bag. I'll have to forgo taking that medication or else I'll be driving while impaired. Instead, the redhead drank almost half of the bottle of that that Ace gave her earlier before starting the engine. Maybe that will relieve my stomachache.

Upon arriving at home, Alice saw a cardboard box at the front door. She glanced around before exiting her car, then glanced around again when she stepped onto the sidewalk. I don't get a lot of mail to begin with, let alone a big package. The redhead sprayed the box with alcohol sanitizer and brought it inside before locking her car and front door. There's no shipping label at all. Just a sticker with my name on it. The sender must've dropped this off...which means they actually came here?!

Alice shook her head and cut the tape with a paper knife, then flipped the box over to pour out its contents. Flying everywhere were color photos with words written on the back of each one. After organizing each item neatly on the dinner table, her eyes widened in shock after she analyzed both front and back. Who sent me this? These photos were all taken at my previous field work sites from overseas. The notes on the back are the names of each landmark. How did the sender know about all this?

Suddenly, her phone vibrated. Marucho had texted, "Next Friday is Employee Appreciation Day, if you want to stop by DSP headquarters for free lunch. Consultants count as employees, too."

She checked her schedule on her phone before replying. "Let me get back to you. My supervisor has a family emergency, so I don't know what my schedule will be."

"Alright! Keep me updated!"

The redhead rested her chin on her interlocked fingers and stared at the photo array in front of her. What does this package mean? What was that reporter trying to tell me earlier about Grandfather and me? And what is his name? He never introduced himself, and I was too busy being upset to ask.

All the endless thinking prompted her to take her discharge painkillers to relieve her aching stomach and head, before leaning back against the dining chair.